Cartersville Georgia

travelsouthMar 13, 2018

Cartersville – A Real Georgia Gem!

Just north of Atlanta, Cartersville, Georgia mixes small town charm with sophisticated finds. On one end of the downtown business district is a farm supply store and on the other is the Smithsonian Affiliate Booth Western Art Museum, housing the nation’s largest collection of Western American art. Between the two are cool shops, chef-owned restaurants, the world’s first Coca-Cola wall sign, and The Bartow History Museum, portraying the Appalachian foothills experience since the 1800’s.

The renowned Etowah Indian Mounds is a nationally significant National Register Historic Site which was a mecca for native peoples from 900 to 1,500 A.D. Historic diversity abounds from the Victorian elegance of Rose Lawn Museum— home of evangelist Sam Jones, for whom Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium was built—to poignant Civil War sites at Kingston, Cassville, Adairsville and Allatoona Pass Battlefield. Georgia’s first state park for African Americans–George Washington Carver Park on Lake Allatoona – is a landmark in the state’s Civil Rights heritage. At nearby Euharlee, experience an authentic 19th century farming village with a covered bridge built in 1886.

The Tellus Science Museum, also a Smithsonian Affiliate, is worth a visit by its self. A quirky find is Old Car City USA, where acres of rusting classics, a Styrofoam cup art gallery and Elvis’ last car create a one-of-a-kind experience. Travel sports families flock annually to LakePoint Sporting Community, featuring world-class athletic facilities and public wakeboarding at Terminus Wake Park.

Year-round, enjoy kayaking and fishing on the Etowah River, hiking some of the region’s best trails at Pine Mountain and Red Top Mountain State Park or shooting at Barnsley Resort’s Springbank Plantation. The historic resort also features fine dining, golf, horseback riding and spa. The magical gardens for which the resort is named have bloomed for more than 160 years – don’t let another go by without finding yourself there.